The IVH profile

It is the Industrial Association of Pet Care Producers’ (German: Industrieverband Heimtierbedarf, IVH) task to safeguard and promote the joint interests of the German Pet Care Industry in the economic field and to advise and support the member companies in all technical issues.

As an industrial association, we safeguard and promote the joint interests of the German Pet Care Industry particularly by

1.    promoting pet keeping,
2.    participating in designing suitable legal and sociopolitical framework conditions as well as by
3.    informing and advising IVH members on industry specific issues.

First and foremost by its public relations, the IVH promotes species-appropriate as well as responsible pet ownership. The focus of all activities lies on the pets’ well-being and health. Hereby, we also aim at ensuring a conflict-free integration of pets into the living environment of pet owners and their surroundings.

Species-appropriate and responsible pet ownership also means to warrant the protection of species and a sustainable removal of species from the wild. Furthermore, it is consistent with the animal protection law.

The IVH actively supports a successful and happy human-animal relationship as well as its further development. In this way, it contributes to public welfare.

The IVH uses its expertise to represent the interests of pet ownership towards socially relevant groups and political forces.

The IVH represents the common interests of the German Pet Care Industry towards governmental, economic and other authorities, and thus participates in designing suitable legal and sociopolitical framework conditions.

This relates especially to

• the procurement, production, import and export of components, intermediate goods and finished goods
• the promotion of products for pet keeping
• pet ownership and its social acceptance

The IVH develops adequate strategies for keeping in contact with all relevant decision-makers and representatives in politics, administration, science, associations and economic organisations and for representing the interests of the member companies towards them. On a national level, this especially means representational activities towards legislature and executive as well as, in the field of developing European legal norms, towards the national authorities concerned with these developments. On a European level, the IVH, as a member of the European umbrella association of pet food manufacturers (FEDIAF), contributes to the design of specialist legislation.

The IVH cultivates its comprehensive competence in informing and advising and offers it to its member companies in order to promote their commercial success.

In detail, the IVH

• informs its member companies about current developments in specialist legislation and about industry-specific circumstances
• expertly advises the staff of its member companies on specialist issues
• supports its member companies in clarifying industry-relevant legal questions
• establishes expert committees to discuss industry-relevant issues
• carries out roadshows dealing with industry-relevant problem areas
• implements market research on selected topics